Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to hammer Takumi Minamino for his display in the 2-0 defeat to Chelsea.
The Japan international was making only his third start for the Reds since arriving from RB Salzburg for £7.25m in January – all of them have come in the FA Cup, while he has also made three appearances off the bench in the Premier League.
Minamino failed to grab his first Liverpool goal or assist at Stamford Bridge as Jurgen Klopp’s men suffered their second defeat in two games, having also lost to Watford last week.
The Japanese playmaker lasted the full 90 minutes playing in a centre-forward role, but failed to muster up a single shot on target while also having just 45 touches of the ball – the fewest of any player to play the entire game.
The 25-year-old also had two unsuccessful touches and was dispossessed on two occasions, while completing just 29 passes – the joint-fewest of any Liverpool player to last the entire game alongside Sadio Mane.
The Reds are now out of the FA Cup, and will have to overturn their first-leg defeat to Atletico Madrid if they are to add any other pieces of silverware to their expected Premier League title this season.
Let’s see what the supporters on Twitter have been saying about Minamino…
To kick off the reaction, two fans mentioned the fact that Minamino needs to bulk up in the gym.
Another said that there’s a reason he cost around £7m – well, yeah, it was his release clause!
In all seriousness, these types of comments are extremely harsh given that the forward is clearly still adapting to England, and should really only be judged after he has had a full pre-season under his belt.
Elsewhere, two other fans said that Liverpool should’ve have bought the Japan star, with one even saying that the club only did it to increase profits in Asia – ouch.
Can you name the result these iconic Liverpool images belong to? Give it a go now…
With back-to-back defeats to their name, Liverpool need to sort themselves out quickly – however, Minamino is not the sole reason for this blip, and these comments towards the newest member of the squad are harsh.
In other news, these Liverpool fans have destroyed this “donkey” who “plays in slow motion”…